MECA News 2010 Year-In-review

8/7/2019 MECA News 2010 Year-In-review

1/8

WINTER 2011

Israels greatest weapon against the Palestinians of

Jerusalem is not its guns, tear gas, night raids,

heckpoints or formidable army. It is its ability to silence

dissent and cover its trail of oppression.

Wadi Hilweh Information Center, Silwan

The Palestinian village of Silwan sits just outside Jerusalems

Old City walls, in the occupied east of the city. Approximately

80 Israeli settlers live amidst 55,000 Palestinians. Far-right

sraeli organizationsmost notably the Elad settlement orga-

nizationbegan taking over Palestinian homes and property in

Silwan a few years ago, largely with the support of the Israeli

overnment and Jerusalem municipality. Elad is also responsible

or the City of David compound, an archaeological site that is

ff-limits to Silwans Palestinian residents and is another means

f Judaizing the neighborhood.

Palestinian adults and children in Silwan regularly face violence

t the hands of the Israeli settlers and the settlements security

personnel. Israeli police have set up a near-permanent presence

n the neighborhood. The Wadi Hilweh Information Center, a lo-

al initiative to bring attention to the plight of Palestinians in Sil-

wan, estimates that 50 percent of the neighborhoods Palestinian

esidents are under the age of 18, and 75 percent of these children

ive below the poverty line. A recent report from the Israeli hu-

man rights organization BTselem uncovers the illegal treatment

f Palestinian children in Silwan, where children as young asve have been arrested and interrogated by Israeli police. From

November 2009-October 2010, at least 81 children were arrested

r detained for questioning, the vast majority on suspicion of

tone throwing. Many were ordered to leave the neighborhood,

n ethnic cleansing policy that denies them the right to live with

heir families and continue their schooling.

The Middle East Childrens Alliance and Playgrounds for

estine are working with Madaa Center, a locally-run commu

center, to transform three plots of empty land in the Wadi Hi

area of Silwan into community spaces. Construction has b

on sports elds. The rst and only playground in the village

a landscaped area for families to have picnics will follow.

project will offer an opportunity for healing and a healthy

experience for the children of Silwan who suffer from ongpsychological trauma. In addition to the immense benets fo

local community, the project is also aimed at protecting the

of land from being stolen by Israeli settler groups.

Residents are prohibited from building on their land. (Si

received a total of just 20 building permits from the Israel

thorities in the past 40 years.) So the vast majority of the ho

Fighting for the right to playin Silwan, East JerusalemJosie Shields-Stromsness,MECA Program Director

Josie Shields-Stromsness and Madaa Center Director Jawad S

Credit: Cathy S

Fighting for the right to play... continued on pa

2010Year in ReviewSPECIAL

See pages 3-6

Girls at Al-Shati Co-ed ElementarySchool, Gaza line up to drink from a newwater purication and desalination unit.

A teacher at the school says, We usedto buy some water for the children andnow we dont need to do this. I love you

MECA. Credit: Mohammed Majdalawi


2/82 MECA NEWS

Dear Friend

bout our years ago, the Student Parliament in Bureij Reugee Camp, Gaza

oted or the thing they most wanted or their school: They chose clean drink-

ng water. Then one o MECAs partner organizations in Gaza came to MECAs

irector o Gaza Projects, Dr. Mona El-Farra, to see i we could respond to the

hildrens request. MECA provided the unds to install a water purication and

esalination unit or the school.

hat was the beginning o MECAs Maia Project, which we ocially launchedn the all o 2009. The Maia Project has been the centerpiece o our work over

he past year, and most likely will be or the years ahead. Thanks to the gener-

sity o hundreds o individual supporters and the undraising eorts o com-

munity groups all around the country, we installed teen water purication

nd desalination units in Gaza schools and kindergar tens in 2010. By the time

ou read this, MECA, working with our Gaza partner Aaq Jadeeda, will have

nstalled a total o twenty-seven units, providing sae, clean drinking water

or 30,000 children every day.

ur Gaza Projects Director Dr. Mona El-Farra has told us how much the Maia

roject means to the whole community. Parents worry less about their chil-

rens health and the nancial burden o purchasing water. Whats more,

he Maia Project is building Palestines inrastructure and boosting the local

conomy.

here are other key accomplishments you can read about in this Year-in-Re-

iew issue medical aid shipments to Lebanon, a special summer school or

ids in Gaza, and university scholarships. This issue also includes a round-up

public events we held to raise unds or our projects and bring audiences

ultural and political views o the Middle East that are otherwise hard to nd.

s I refect on the past year, I am also remembering my visit to Gaza this time

wo years ago. I was in Egypt with Dr. El-Farra purchasing and sending in tons

ood and medical aid during Israels horriying three-week assault on the

eople o Gaza. When I entered Gaza I was shocked by what I saw: Schools,

mosques, UN buildings and houses were fattened. I heard stories rom moth-

rs and their children about what had happened to them during the attacks.

housands o children who survived this horror have been let with injuries

hat will be with them or the rest o their lives. Many lost arms or legs rom

the particularly brutal weapons that were used by Israel. Thousands mor

their parents and their homes. At least 350 children were murdered d

that three-week period.

I have thought about all o this now because o the anniversary o the

massacre, and because o what happened here at home recently in Tu

Arizona. I watched in sadness, like so many others, the unolding story

shooting rampage that killed six people, including a nine-year-old littand critically injured Congresswoman Gabrielle Giords and many other

When these tragedies happen here in the US, we spend hours, days and w

talking about how this could happen in our communities. We talk abou

our language must change so that people who are mentally ill will not b

couraged to commit these kinds o acts. We talk about whether people s

be able to buy machine guns or how many bullets they should be able to

Our President few to Tucson and delivered a beautiul speech telling us

we need to be mindul o our words.

All o this is happening while our government is killing children in Ag

stan and Iraq and is supporting the State o Israel that arrests, beats and

Palestinian children; builds the Apartheid Wall that separates them

their amilies; and denies them clean water to drink or the medicines

desperately need not only to survive but to have a healthy lie. As our

dent speaks about human rights to leaders around the world, he ignore

human rights o children where the US carries out or supports war an

cupation. As he decries violence at home, he continues widespread vio

overseas. And just as the infammatory rhetoric o some politicians may

contributed to the tragedy in Tucson, the silence and inaction o virtua

our politicians allows tragedies to occur daily in Aghanistan, Iraq, Paleand other parts o the world.

For these things to change, weve got to keep working to show people i

US that the killing o a nine-year-old little girl by an Israeli sniper or Pre

drone deserves the same amount o attention as the death o the bea

little girl in Arizona.

Letter rom Barbara by Barbara LubinMECAs Executive Director


3/8MECA NEWS

Your MECA Dollars at Work:

2010Year in Review

Maia Project 2010Last year, MECA completed 15 water purication units in

schools, bringing the total number of Maia units to twenty-se

The following groups and individuals raised or donated fun

install a Maia unit in a specic school:

Special thanks toThe community groups who raised funds for one or

more Maia units14 Friends of Palestine: Marah Kindergarten

Aswat: Marah Kindergarten

Bay Area Viva Palestina Group: Indira Ghandi Kindergarten

Boston Water-4-Gaza: Beit Hanoun Preparatory Boys School

Corvallis, Oregon: Ashbal Palestine Kindergarten

Elena Levy and friends and family: Womens Union Kindergar

Friends of MECA, Maine: Baraem Bisan Kindergarten

Granville, Ohio: Maghazi Kindergarten

Madison-Rafah Sister City Project in memory of Ken Coffeen

Tuyor Al-Jena Kindergarten

Rotary Club, Dubai: School to be determined

Palestinian American Womens Association of Southern Califo

Three kindergarten units to be determinedSacramento, California: Ashbal Khuzaa Kindergarten

Santa Fe, New Mexico: Bureij Girls Elementary School and

Khan Younis Co-ed Elementary School

US Palestinian Community Network: Ghassan Kanafani

Kindergarten, Jabalia Refugee Camp

Whitefsh, Montana: Atfaluna Awwalan Kindergarten

Anonymous: One kindergarten unit to be determined

The individuals and foundations who made donation

install one or more Maia unitsThe Alalusi Foundation: Shati Boys Preparatory School G

Girls Elementary SchoolFiredoll Foundation: Beit Lahia Girls Preparatory School

Karl Jaensch: Maen Co-ed Elementary School (Khan Younis)

Lannan Foundation in memory of William Christison: Khan Y

Co-ed Elementary School

Lee & Gund Foundation: Ghasan Kanafani Kindergarten, Jabal

village

Kamal and Rosemary Obeid: Al-Nuseirat Kindergarten

Norman Pederson: Jabalia Boys Preparatory School

Gabrielle and Jalal Saad: Al-Falah Boys Preparatory School,

Atfaluna Kindergarten

Cornelia Van Thiel in honor of Thomas: Baraem Al-Salam

Kindergarten

Alice Walker, Beit Hanoun KindergartenSharon Wallace: School to be determined

Anonymous: Shati Co-Ed Elementary School, Jabalia Girls

Preparatory, Deir El-Balah

The thirty-seven members of the Maia Project Leader

Circle who made gifts of $1,000 to $3,999 to launch an

sustain the Maia Project.

The hundreds of people who made donations, attended

fundraising event, or bought a water bottle to support to

Maia Project.

Ayed Halaby, a member of Al-Shati Pre-paratory Boys School student parliamentsays about the Maia purication unit and

new faucets installed at his school I amglad to drink healthy, clean water.Credit: Mohammed Majdalawi

Sally, a 10-year-old student in Gazahas kidney problems so her motherused to send her to school each daywith a bottle of ltered water. Now

hat her school has a Maia unit Sallysays I dont carry a bottle of cleanwater anymore because it is heavy onmy shoulder and it wasnt nice that Icouldnt share it with other girls.

Credit: Mohammed Majdalawi

One of the best aspects of our November Weekend of Pales-

inian Culture was the wild diversity of its participants. The

people who came for hip-hop were not the same as those who

ame for the embroidery presentation or childrens story time,

et everyone seemed happy to be part of what we were doing:

elebrating Palestinian culture and raising $4,000 for a water

purication and desalination system for the Ashbal Palestine

kindergarten, in the al-Zaitoun neighborhood of Gaza City.

--Corvallis, Oregon Group

Long-time MECA supporter Noam

Chomsky spoke at a Maia Projectfundraiser in Boston.

A few of the approximately2000 students at Al-FalahBoys Preparatory School in Al-Zaytoun area of Gaza City en-joy clean drinking water thanksto the Maia Project and fundsfrom Gabrielle and Jalal Saad.Credit: Afaq Jadeeda Association

If you would like to form

a group to raise funds for

a Maia unit ($11,500 for a

large school, $4,000 for a

kindergarten) please email

[email protected]


4/84 MECA NEWS

ScholarshipsAcademic Year 2010-2011

MECA provided scholarships to 97 students at twelve universi-

ies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for the new academic year.This is the sixth consecutive year that MECA has supported stu-

dents at Palestinian universities. The students hail from Palestin-

an villages, refugee camps, towns, and cities and their elds of

tudy are as diverse as their dreams for the future. These scholar-

hips are provided by two special funds established by MECA

donorsthe Elly Jaensch Memorial Scholarship Fund and the

Tree of Life Scholarship Fundplus dozens of other supporters

who designate their contributions for MECAs Ramzy Halaby

Education Fund.

Gaining knowledge is not only a personal endeavorbut a collective duty for myself and my community so

hat we could better our lives and our environment.

I want to gain the skills needed to be able to carry

on the responsibilities to develop my community. Get-

ing to Al Quds University in the rst place was not

easy. My family was experiencing extreme nancial

difculties, as my father was no longer permitted to

enter Jerusalem where his job was located. As a re-

sult, my mom had to work two jobs just to pay for

my sisters and my own secondary education. At somepoint, expenses were too high and I was deciding to

drop out of school to help my family survive. Luckily,

I received a scholarship from the Middle East Chil-

drens Alliance (MECA) to continue my studies. The

cholarship gave me the support and encouragement

o continue my education.

--Odai, second year Computer Engineering student

at Al-Quds University

Aid to Palestinian

and Iraqi Refugees in Lebanon

In August 2010, after a long wait and lots of red tape, a larg

shipment containing $1.3 million in medicine and medical plies has been distributed to community-run clinics and ho

tals in Lebanons twelve Palestinian refugee camps as well a

groups working with Iraqi refugees in Lebanon. MECA wo

with Medical Teams International to procure and ship the

cic medications requested by health workers in the camps

cluding antibiotics for skin, ear, sinus and respiratory infecti

medications for high blood pressure, excessive bleeding a

childbirth, asthma; and more. Another 40-foot container wil

rive soon with $452,417 of medical supplies, along with

books, toys, and clothes donated by individuals and busine

throughout the Bay Area.

The Aparthied Wall built on the property of Al-Quds University. Wwas once a ve or ten-minute trip for faculty members and stud

from East Jerusalem has become 45 minute detour around the Issettlement of Maale Adumim to get to the campus.Credit: Gary Field

MECA provides scholarships for 28 students at the Islamic UniversGaza, shown here as it was bombed in January 2009. Some fachave been rebuilt but most are still in disrepair because of the Isblockade on building materials.

Learning on the Rubble

The Zaytoun neighborhood of Gaza City was devastated by

raeli attacks in January 2009. Poverty and the Israeli blockad

building materials has prevented reconstruction. Many chil

had fallen behind in school due to physical injuries and psy

logical trauma.

Last summer, MECA provided nancial support to our G

partner Afaq Jadeeda to run a summer school named Lear

on the Rubble. Large tents were erected and six teachers w

Arabic, English and Math credentials set up classrooms forchildren age 5-12. Local volunteers, along with a volunteer c

therapist from the US, led play therapy activities. In additio

their academic work, the children sang, drew, painted, pl

games and went on eldtrips to a water park and to the Med

ranean Sea.


5/8MECA NEWS

Art and technology connecting

struggles around the world

The Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project is a multi-m

project co-produced by Break the Silence Arts Project and

Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice. It aims to b

relationships across movements and cultures, using adva

ments in technology to bridge physical and nancial dist

and to include the artwork of Palestinians, who are forbid

to travel.

MECA was a sponsor of the project, along with the International Trauma Treatment Program and the Gaza Community Mental Health Programrtist Jos Sances created the leaf on the tree that represents MECAs work.

1.3 million in medicine and medical supplies arrive in Lebanon. Ouriend at Popular Aid for Relief and Development wrote, The enthusi-sm that all organizations are showing is very big. They all expressedhat this is the rst time they got medicines as ordered and not just the

meds that donors want to get rid of. We have made so many lists toonors, we think they will get us what we want, and we end up receiv-

ng meds that we dont even need. We dont know what to do with thosemedicines. We thought this time will be the same, but MECA proved to

e different.

The 100-foot-long mural is lo-

cated in Olympia, Washing-

ton, hometown of Rachel

Corrie, who was crushed

to death by an Israeli

bulldozer while de-

fending the home of a

Palestinian family in

Rafah, Gaza. It fea-

tures an enormous

olive tree with more

than 150 leaves repre-

senting issues of envi-ronmental justice, rac-

ism, colonialism, rights

of indigenous peoples,

and anti-war movements,

and that range from the

Americas to Europe, Asia,

and the Middle East. The inno-

vative technology incorporated

into the mural allows visitors to use

cell phones to hear the creator of each

leaf talk about its meaning.

2010Year in Review


6/86 MECA NEWS

MECA Events 2010:Raising funds and raising awarenessn 2010 the Middle East Childrens Alliance held 10 large and

mall events, beginning the year with PalestinianAmerican

writer and activist Ali Abunimah, and ending with our annual

MECA/Joining Hands Holiday Bazaar.

Writer, activist and Electronic-Intifada.net Co-Founder AliAbunimah was one of 1,400

activists who took part in dailyprotests in Egypt as they wait-ed forand most never gotpermission to enter Gaza forthe Gaza Freedom March inDecember 2009. In February2010 he spoke about the fu-ture of Palestine, the increasingstrength of the Palestine soli-darity movement, and the back-lash against it.

The late Bill Christison during an inter-

view on a New Mexico radio station. Billand his wife Kathleen spoke at a MECAevent in March 2010. (Sadly, Bill died soonafter.) Kathleen is the author of two bookson Palestine/U.S. policy, and Bill wrote nu-merous articles on U.S. foreign policies.They co-authored their book Palestine inPieces. Credit: Kathleen and Bill Christison

Author and director of Playgrounds for PalestineSusan Abulhawa reads and discusses her novelMornings in Jenin at MECAs ofce in April.

In May, MECA held an eventwith scholar Norman Fin-kelstein, Iraqi/UK hip-hopphenomenon Lowkey andwriter/activist Jody McIntyreas part of their nationwideRendezvous of Victory tour.

In August, MECA held a re-ception forKen Ring wherehe spoke about the book heedited with Ghassan Abdul-lah, Letters from Palestine:Palestinians Speak OutAbout Their Lives, Their Country, and the Power ofNonviolence, which includes a piece by MECA As-sociate Director Ziad Abbas.

Award-winning Lebanon-based journalist and au-thor Robert Fisk beinginterviewed onstage byProfessor Hatem Bazianon Lies, Misreporting andCatastrophe in the MiddleEast, at a sold-out eventin September 2010.Credit: Jay Finneburgh

Areej Jafari (center) youthand womens rights leaderfrom Dheisheh RefugeeCamp, West Bank with MECAsupporters Carl Stromsnessand Cathy Shields (ProgramDirector Josie Shields-Strom-sness parents). Areej spokewith Hanin Zoabi, a Pal-estinian member of the Is-raeli Knesset who was onthe Gaza Freedom Flotilla,

shown here with AssociateDirector Ziad Abbas.Credit: Penny Rosenwasser

Kathy Saade Kenny withher grandmother, circa 1950 Katrina SaadeFarhat, circa 1950. In November 2010 Kathy

presented her award-winning bilingual biog-raphy Katrina in Five Worlds about her Pal-estinian grandmothers life, traveling fromOttoman-ruled Bethlehem to pre-Revolution-ary Russia, then to Mexico during the Mexi-

can Revolution, a fateful return to Palestinebefore nding fulllmentin Southern California,changing the life of herfamily forever.

ASWAT Bay Area Arabic

Music Ensembleperformed at a soldout benet for MECAs

Project on November 14. The afternoon inc

ASWAT Youth (in photo), Palestinian & Andafolk dance, Palestinian poetry, and formeFrancisco poet laureate Jack Hirschmansponsored by and held at the Islamic CuCenter in Oakland. Credit: Zawaya

In December, the women of JoiningHands and MECA held the eighthAnnual Palestinian Bazaar fea-turing wood, ceramic, and textilecrafts along with soap, olive oil andmore to benet Palestinian crafts

people, small businesses, collec-tives and non-governmental orga-nizations. Credit: Jos Sances


7/8MECA NEW

1101 8th. St. Berkeley, Ca 947

A Life-Saving Gift for the ChildrenYES! I want to help MECA meet the basic needs of Palestinian children and givethem opportunities to learn, play and envision a better future.

[ ] $250 [ ] $100 [ ] $50 [ ] $25 [ ] $ ____________

[ ] My check payable to MECA is enclosed. [ ] Please charge my credit card in the amount indicated above.

Card #: _______________________________________ Exp: _____________________

Signature: _____________________________________________________________

Email: _________________________________________________________________

Name: ________________________________________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________________________

City, ST, Zip: ____________________________________________________________

MECA is a 501(c)3 exempt organization. Your gift is tax-deductible as a charitable contribution.

www.mecaforpeace.o

re considered by the state of Israel to have been constructed,

xpanded, or renovated illegally, and are therefore in danger of

being demolished. Similarly, Madaa Center was not able to ob-

ain permits for the community spaces, which complicates plans.

For example, a concrete wall would likely be demolished by the

erusalem municipality so they are building a natural wall with

tones, which is more time-consuming and costly.

The project, like any initiative from Palestinian residents in Sil-

wan, faces unimaginable obstacles. Two weeks ago, I chatted

with the crew working on the sports eld site and learned that

ne of them was picked up at the site and detained overnight by

sraeli police. Another worker told me about his brother, Adnan

Gheith, who is a community activist ghting home demolitions

n Silwan. Israeli authorities have been leading a vicious cam-

paign against him and his political activity in Silwan. There is

now an Israeli military order banishing him from Jerusalem for

our months.

The day after my visit, Jawad Siyam, the director of Madaa Cen-

er, was arrested by Israeli police while working with children

t the center. He was released three days later when the Israeli

police could not produce evidence against him but then he was

rrested again. Jawad is now under house arrest pending another

ourt hearing, and risks being banned from the neighborhood his

amily has lived in for generations. He has been repeatedly ques-

ioned about his activism in the local community, rather than any

lleged crimes,, in an effort to intimidate him.

Fighting for the right to play...

continued from page 1

Israeli authorities and settlers will tto stop this project any way possible

Please join our email list at:www.mecaforpeace.org for updates

and action alerts to support theresidents of Silwan and their right tbuild play areas for their children.

A concrete wall would likely be demolished by Israeli authorities

Madaa Center is building a natural wall with stones, which is m

time-consuming and costly. Credit: Cathy Shields


8/8

101 8th. St. Berkeley, Ca 94710

Thursday, February 17, 7:00pm, OaklandNEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE

The Middle East Childrens Alliance joins American Muslims for Pales-tine and the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network to present:

Auschwitz Survivor HAJO MEYER & Islamic Scholar HATEM BAZIAN

First Presbyterian Church, 2619 Broadway

Never Again for Anyone national speaking tour with Hajo Meyer

Washington DC: Jan 25, 2011

New York: Jan 27, 2011

New Jersey: Jan 29, 2011

Toronto, Canada: Jan 31, Feb 1, 2011

Milwaukee: Feb 3, 2011

Chicago: Feb 4 & 5, 2011

Twin Cities: Feb 8, 2011

Atlanta: Feb 10, 2011

New Orleans: Feb 13, 2011

Sacramento: Feb 16, 2011

SF Bay Area: Feb 17, 2011

Los Angeles: Feb 19, 2011

For more information, go to

www.neveragainforanyone.com.

February 1 through March 28Speaking Tour with MECA Associate Director ZIAD ABBAS

Ziad Abbas will be touring the Northwest, Northeast, and Midwestto promote the Maia Project, which provides clean drinking water f

children in Gaza.

Go to www.mecaforpace.org to see when Ziads coming to your are

email [email protected] to arrange an event with him.

Saturday, February 26, 9:00am - 1:00pm, San FranciscTEACHING PALESTINE Workshop

MECA, Rethinking Schools and the International Jewish Anti-Zionis

Network will hold a half-day workshop for youth educators who wa

to teach about Palestine through pedagogy that is student-centere

rigorous, empowering, skill-strengthening, highly informed, and

makes connections to local struggles for justice.

Please RSVP to [email protected]

International Womens Day,

Tuesday, March 8, 7pm, BerkeleyPalestinian lawyer/negotiator DIANA BUTTU

First Congregational Church, Channing and Dana

with Special Guest, spoken word artist MARIA POBLET.More info coming soon!

Documents

MECA News 2010 Year-In-review